{"id":32373,"title":"Thai Iced Tea","modified":"2025-05-27T10:46:38+02:00","plain":"A homemade Thai iced tea, rich and creamy, with the typical orange color\n\n\n\nIn Bangkok, the late afternoon heat weighs like palm sugar syrup. Tuk-tuks sputter, while the metal tongs of a street vendor clang against a dented cooler. Behind a cloud of steam, she lifts an iron can and pours a stream of hot tea in an arc into a cup filled with crushed ice.   \n\n\n\nThe hissing liquid instantly marbles, then a stream of condensed milk unfurls in creamy swirls. The first sip is initially tannic, then creamy, and finally very sweet. Beyond just a remedy for the heat, Thai iced tea tells the story of trade routes and local ingenuity.  \n\n\n\nAnother very visual drink is the ube latte\n\n\n\nThe Origin of Thai Iced Tea\n\n\n\nTea reached the royal courts of Siam as early as the 17th century, enjoyed hot and austere by an elite who appreciated Chinese leaves for their subtle aroma. However, two industrial revolutions would change the game. In 1893, Nestl\u00e9 began shipping canned sweetened condensed milk to the kingdom. Ten years later, Bangkok's first ice factory cut river ice into crystalline cubes.    \n\n\n\nSuddenly, tea could be both creamy and iced in a country that hardly knew coolness. Indian merchants popularized the habit of chai with milk, while Sino-Thai entrepreneurs adapted it to local palates fond of a more pronounced sweetness. \n\n\n\nIf you like Asian drinks, try my taro bubble tea\n\n\n\nThe next step came in 1945, when Cha Tra Mue opened in Bangkok. Its founders replaced the expensive Ceylon with a stronger and more affordable Assam, then accentuated the brick-red color of the infusion with food coloring so that customers could distinguish the tea from coffee after adding milk.  \n\n\n\nA flamboyant orange glass was thus born, announcing the flavor from afar. In a few years, cha yen became a must-have in cafes, and in 2023 TasteAtlas would rank it the seventh best non-alcoholic drink in the world. \n\n\n\nWhat Makes it Authentic: Ingredients and Vendors' Technique\n\n\n\nAuthenticity begins with a strong tea: a broken-leaf Assam or a commercial Thai blend, slightly vanilla-flavored, colored with food coloring E110 (Yellow No. 6), sometimes mixed with other shades, to obtain that inimitable terracotta glow. \n\n\n\nVendors place a measured portion of leaves in a \u201ctea sock\u201d made of cloth, douse it with boiling water, then \u201cbrew\u201d the infusion between two kettles to aerate it and release the tannins. The concentrate turns almost ink-like: a guarantee against the upcoming dilution. \n\n\n\nWith so few ingredients that are easily found here, there's no excuse!\n\n\n\nSugar and a generous stream of sweetened condensed milk are incorporated while the liquid is still hot. This double sweetness provides what Thais call \u201c\u0e2b\u0e27\u0e32\u0e19 \u0e21\u0e31\u0e19\u201d (wan-man), both sweet and rich, so that the drink remains dessert-worthy even when the ice melts. The hot preparation is then poured over a mountain of crushed ice, chilling it instantly. A layer of condensed milk then drifts on the surface, forming ripples that slowly subside and marble the glass.   \n\n\n\nThe final identity of this milk tea is easy to describe but difficult to imitate: a tannic backbone for structure, a creamy mid-palate for body, and a caramel-like finish that lingers just long enough to invite another sip. Replace even one element (under-steeped tea, simple white sugar, or milk substitute) and the balance derails, leaving a drink that might be pleasant but is no longer truly cha yen. \n\n\n\nAn Authentic Cha Yen in Brief\n\n\n\n\nFlavor signature: bright black tea, hint of vanilla, near absence of distinct masala spices.\n\n\n\nThe orange hue now comes from food coloring; historically, safflower petals or roasted tamarind seeds were used.\n\n\n\nThe ideal profile follows the local mantra \u201c\u0e2b\u0e27\u0e32\u0e19 \u0e21\u0e31\u0e19\u201d(wan-man): as sweet as it is rich.\n\n\n\n\nMyths and Contemporary Variations\n\n\n\nToo many \u201cspices?\u201d Star anise and cardamom are not essential. On Bangkok's sidewalks, any potential spice (I emphasize this, it's not at all mandatory to have anything other than tea) is already in the tea blend; vendors rarely throw whole pods into the pot. \n\n\n\nIs coconut milk the \u201ctradition\u201d? It's a 21st-century vegan trick, delicious for sure, but historically off-topic.\n\n\n\nCompare the glasses and you'll see two schools. The street version is bright orange, very sweet, and topped with canned condensed milk. Many Western cafes temper the sweetness, replace condensed milk with light cream, and omit the floating layer, offering paler and lighter sips.  \n\n\n\nIn the deep South of Thailand, the preparation becomes performance art: cha chak, or \"pulled tea,\" is tossed from one kettle to another until it forms a foam, then served hot or iced. A green version flavored with jasmine, on the other hand, seduces culinary influencers.  \n\n\n\nThais often accompany cha yen with pa thong ko fritters or any green curry or stir-fry that makes the tongue dance: sugar and fat then play the role of culinary fire extinguishers.\n\n\n\n\n\n\tThai Iced Tea\n\t\t\n\t\tA homemade Thai iced tea, rich and creamy, with the typical orange color\t\n\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\n\t\t5 tea bags of black tea0.5 teaspoon of orange food coloring (FD Yellow #6 or E110 color)480 ml water (boiling)15 g of sugar (granulated)60 ml of sweetened condensed milk60 g of powdered milk1 pinch saltIce cubes (to serve)\t\n\t\n\t\tPreparationPlace the tea bags in a large bowl.Bring the water to a boil.Pour the boiling water over the tea bags, let steep for maximum time.Add the orange food coloring and whisk.Incorporate the granulated sugar, sweetened condensed milk, powdered milk, and salt.Add a bit more food coloring if necessary to achieve the traditional color.Place in the refrigerator for about an hour to cool.Fill a large glass with ice cubes, pour the tea over it.\t\n\t\n\t\tFeel free to adjust the amount of food coloring to get the desired color.\n\t\n\t\n\t\tDrinksThai\t\n\n\n\n\n\nCulinary sources\n\n\n\n\nPunpromotion - \u201cHistory of Thai Tea\u201d: origin of the famous \u201ccha \u0e2a\u0e35\u0e2a\u0e49\u0e21\u201d, evolution of its name and color\n\n\n\nBangkok Biz News - \u201c\u0e0a\u0e32\u0e44\u0e17\u0e22\u201d ranked 7th best drink in the world: historical retrospective and international recognition\n\n\n\nThe Matter - \u201c\u0e40\u0e23\u0e37\u0e48\u0e2d\u0e07\u0e0a\u0e32\u0e44\u0e17\u0e22\u0e09\u0e1a\u0e31\u0e1a\u0e27\u0e34\u0e19\u0e40\u0e17\u0e08\u201d: investigation into the inventor of ice in tea and the global passion for Thai tea\n\n\n\nThai Tea - Wikipedia: encyclopedic entry, ingredients and variations\n\n\n\nThai Iced Tea Recipe - Serious Eats: detailed recipe and advice on spice dosage\n\n\n\nThai Iced Tea (\u0e0a\u0e32\u0e40\u0e22\u0e47\u0e19) - EatingThaiFood: \u201cauthentic street-food\u201d method step-by-step\n\n\n\nHow to Make Thai Iced Tea Like in Thailand - Hot Thai Kitchen: video and tips to reproduce the local version\n\n\n\nThai Iced Tea - Alton Brown: homemade interpretation of the iconic drink\n\n\n\nMaking Thai Iced Tea from Scratch - Tea in the Ancient World: reflection on traditional tea blends and colorants","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/marcwiner.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/32373","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/marcwiner.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/marcwiner.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/marcwiner.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/marcwiner.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=32373"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/marcwiner.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/32373\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/marcwiner.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/32221"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/marcwiner.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=32373"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/marcwiner.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=32373"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/marcwiner.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=32373"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}